Actor Nam Joo-hyuk, in promoting his first project after military discharge, opened up candidly about his military service and feelings about returning.
On the 14th, the YouTube channel 'Salon Drip' featured Nam Joo-hyuk and Roh Yoon-seo, the lead actors of the film East Palace, sharing behind-the-scenes stories from filming and their recent news.
Nam Joo-hyuk, who was discharged in September 2024, naturally talked about his time in the military as he promoted his first project after discharge. When Roh Yoon-seo said, "(In the military) I heard they talked about me a lot," Nam Joo-hyuk recalled with a laugh, "When I said I would appear with Yoon-seo in 'East Palace,' my junior soldiers asked, 'Who does he think he is?'" He added, "It felt less like being a celebrity and more like being just friends from the military."
At enlistment he had even earned the nickname 'Baek I-jin' due to the drama's popularity, but he did not avoid the attention. Nam Joo-hyuk said, "If I had felt that attention as a burden, it would have been harder," and added, "Rather, I thought I should go ahead, so from trainee days I took on leading roles like class president or vice president." He recalled with a laugh, "If I had been just Nam Joo-hyuk the person, I probably wouldn't have done that much," and added, "The military suited my temperament. There was a certain romance to it. I even looked for four-leaf clovers."
He candidly shared his feelings when he first returned to the set after discharge. Nam Joo-hyuk said, "I came back to the site and was so thrilled that it was hard to believe I was there naturally." But the excitement was brief. He said, "After about the third or fourth shoot it felt like reality. It was very hard," and smiled, "Now I am completely adapted."
Meanwhile, Nam Joo-hyuk and Roh Yoon-seo said they grew closer while working on the project, raising expectations by conveying their strong rapport on and off the set.
[Photo] 'Salon Drip 2'
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